Woman's Institute Library of Cookery. Volume 5: Fruit and Fruit Desserts; Canning and Drying; Jelly Making, Preserving and Pickling; Confections; Beverages; the Planning of Meals

by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

FLAVORINGS

17. KINDS OF FLAVORINGS.--Flavorings are very important in the making of confections, for it is on them that much of the appetizing effect of these foods depends. In fact, unless good flavorings are secured and then used discreetly, tasty results cannot be expected.

The flavorings used in candy making are in reality divided into two classes--natural and artificial.

18. NATURAL FLAVORINGS.--Under the head of natural flavorings come those which are made from the fruit or the plant that produces the desired flavor. They are known as oils and extracts.

19. The oils are obtained by pressing out the natural flavoring substance from the material containing it. They are usually very strong, so that only a little is needed to flavor a comparatively large quantity of food. Peppermint, wintergreen, and cinnamon are the oils that are used the most.

20. EXTRACTS are prepared by using alcohol to extract the flavoring substances from certain materials. The alcohol acts as a preservative, so that the finished extract nearly always contains a high percentage of this material. Vanilla and such flavorings as lemon and orange are examples of extracts that are usually made in this way. A few companies manufacture a product in which glycerine instead of alcohol is used as the preservative. Flavorings so prepared are in the form of a thick, sirupy substance rather than a liquid and are usually sold in a tube.

21. ARTIFICIAL FLAVORINGS.--Flavorings classified as artificial flavorings are of two kinds: those having for their basis substances extracted from coal tar and those prepared by various chemical combinations. They are also known as synthetic flavors. With regard to both healthfulness and taste, they are not so desirable as the natural flavorings.

22. ADULTERATION OF FLAVORINGS.--As it is a common practice to adulterate flavorings, every manufacturer of these materials is obliged to state on the label of each bottle or tube of flavoring just what its contents consist of. Therefore, when the purchase is made, the label should be carefully examined. Without doubt, vanilla is adulterated more often than any other flavoring, a pure extract of vanilla being seldom found. The beans from which the flavor is extracted are very expensive, so the Tonka bean and other cheaper flavoring substances are often resorted to in the making of this flavoring. However, when large amounts of such things are used, the price of the extract should be less than that charged for the pure extract of the vanilla bean. Many chefs and professional cooks overcome this difficulty by purchasing the vanilla beans and using them for flavoring purposes by soaking or cooking small pieces of them in the material that is to be flavored or grinding the bean in a mortar and using it in the ground form.